A bevy of tech-sector and public interest groups are calling on the Trump administration to maintain current guidance on Federal agency artificial intelligence use case inventories to ensure transparency and accountability in government AI deployment, while others are pleading with the administration to not slash the Federal workforce critical to AI innovation.
Two separate letters sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Commerce call on the Trump administration to not make cuts and changes to current government AI standards and initiatives.
In a letter to OMB Director Russell Vought and Michael Kratsios, the nominee to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Federation of American Scientists – along with 16 other organizations related to social impact, tech policy, and digital rights – wrote that AI use case inventories currently used across Federal agencies are “key in promoting transparent, efficient, and trustworthy AI adoption across the federal government and encouraging a robust and competitive ecosystem of public innovation.”
The letter follows a plan announced in January by President Donald Trump to develop a Federal government “action plan” on AI technologies within the next six months. In early February, the Trump administration published a request for information from those familiar with AI to provide feedback on its AI plan while the administration develops its future actions.
“The federal government’s approach to deploying AI systems is a defining force in shaping industry standards, academic research, and public perception of these technologies,” the letter reads. “Public sentiment toward AI remains mixed, with many Americans expressing a lack of trust in AI systems. To derive benefits from AI systems, the public must have confidence that these systems are deployed safely and benefit their lives and livelihoods.”
The initiative to publish agency AI use cases was spurred by a 2020 AI executive order under the first Trump administration – later followed by OMB guidance signed by Vought – authorizing the creation of a database of AI use cases provided they are non-classified and non-sensitive.
In December 2024, OMB unveiled its 2024 Federal AI use case inventory, revealing that the number of use cases more than doubled those reported in 2023 and totaled over 1,700 use cases across agencies. The bulk of the AI use cases were reported as mission-enabling, and involving health, medical, and government services.
“As the federal government seeks to increase its implementation of AI solutions in the coming years, these reporting practices for AI use cases are an essential tool for building trust, tracking outcomes, and informing innovation in the industry,” the letter says.
The second letter addressed to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and sent on Monday is signed by eight tech policy advocacy groups who warned that “downsizing” the Federal workforce at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – which began its work on AI under Trump’s first term – could “have ramifications for the ability of the American AI industry to continue to lead globally.”
“As the Administration considers changes to personnel and programs to better align agencies with priorities, we encourage a strategy that leverages NIST’s leadership and expertise on standards development, voluntary frameworks, public-private sector collaboration, and international harmonization,” says the letter from groups including the Software & Information Industry Association, the Computer & Communication Industry Association, and TechNet.
“The work done at NIST is not just a matter of maintaining technical excellence; it is a direct investment in ensuring that American industry continues to set the global benchmark for innovation,” it continues. “As AI technologies rapidly evolve, sustained research and development efforts in standards and measurement science will be critical for the Administration’s goal to continue to lead in AI.”
